Tag: dinner

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat… please put a penny in the old man’s hat! Read the article below to discover the most essential items needed for a British Christmas dinner and then try our quizzes to test your knowledge!

1) Turkey

You probably already knew this, but yes, turkey is the most essential ingredient to a good British Christmas dinner. This festive bird is rarely eaten throughout the year, but when Christmas arrives, everyone in the UK rushes to the supermarket shelves to grab one for Christmas day. The turkey is usually stuffed (more on that later) and then roasted in the oven for at least a few hours. At the dinner table the roasted turkey is then carved and shared amongst family and friends, forming the most important element to the Christmas dinner. It can be a bit dry if not done well, but a good slice of juicy turkey (for meat-eaters) is a wonderful thing.

2) Gravy

In my opinion, the gravy is the second most important element to a good British Christmas dinner. Even if your turkey is juicy, it would still be a bit dry without a splash of delicious meaty gravy. Gravy is a sauce usually made out of the fat from the roasted meat, but it can also be made using vegetables, like onions. For me, it really brings the Christmas dinner together.

3) Roast potatoes

The common theme of the British Christmas dinner is that everything is roasted. The second most important roasted element of the dinner is definitely the roast potatoes. When done well, good roast potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Good advice would be to pour your gravy over the potatoes!

4) Stuffing

A British Christmas dinner would not be a British Christmas dinner without the stuffing. I mentioned before that when we roast the turkey, we stuff it. What I didn’t mention is what we stuff it with. Well, we stuff it with stuffing of course! Stuffing is made out of breadcrumbs, pork meat, herbs and spices. Sage and onion is the most popular flavour. After several hours roasting inside the turkey, the flavours from the stuffing are magnificent!

5) Brussel Sprouts

Now, this is controversial, because I could have said cranberry sauce, pigs in blankets, bread sauce, or even Yorkshire pudding! However, everyone knows that brussel sprouts are essential to a proper British Christmas dinner. Even if you don’t like them, you need a few on your plate, otherwise it wouldn’t be Christmas! These tiny cabbages are quite bitter, so many people aren’t fond of them, but it is undeniable that they are an essential.

Now you’ve read the article, try the quizzes below!